Catch Whetū Mārama – Bright Star at the Civic for Matariki

In celebration of Matariki, Doc Edge has organised a special screening of Whetū Mārama – Bright Star at the Civic in Auckland on Friday 24 June, followed by a Q&A with Toby Mills.

Co-directed by Aileen O’Sullivan (DEGANZ) and Toby Mills, this film is the story of Sir Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Puhipi, aka Hek Busby, and his significance for Māori in rekindling their wayfinding DNA and for all New Zealanders in reclaiming our place as traditional star voyagers on the world map.

According to the directors, “For us the ultimate underlying focus of Whetū Mārama – Bright Star is the story of a culture that understands an inner compass… Hek talks of always knowing where he is – a sense of connection to his ancestors ‘lying just below the surface’. His voyaging has reconnected his crews with their inbuilt GPS systems and they in turn are teaching and inspiring the next generation, building a bridge back into our past to take us forward into the future.”

Whetū Mārama – Bright Star will be distributed throughout the country from July 7.

 

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Jack Woon’s Let’s Settle This Gets Catalyst Funding

Congratulations to DEGANZ member Jack Woon on receiving NZFC Catalyst funding for his short film, Let’s Settle This.

The film’s logline: Two Kung fu masters meet in a Chinese diner via a dating app. They must settle the bill – and an ancient vendetta – to consummate their fateful encounter.

Jack will write and direct, with DEGANZ board member Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa producing alongside his sister, Abba-Rose Dinah Vaiaoga-Ioasa.

Catalyst He Kauahi supports New Zealand filmmakers to progress their talents to the next stage and make exceptional, high end narrative short films that will ignite the flame and be the catalyst for change in their career. Teams have been funded $100,000 to go towards their short film and towards the development of the feature film concept.

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NZIFF: Perianayaki a Finalist in Best Short Film Competition

NZIFF has announced the five finalists for the New Zealand’s Best short film competition, with Perianayaki by DEGANZ member Bala Murali Shingade one of them.

Directed by Bala and edited by fellow member Shailesh Prajapati, Perianayaki follows a recent Sri Lankan immigrant as she begins another day stacking shelves at the local supermarket. With her limited grasp of English, she struggles to understand or be understood by colleagues and customers alike. The short film was written and produced by Shreya Gejji. Perianayaki is a slice of life character study that provokes audiences to pause, take notice, and rethink their assumptions about immigrants, particularly those in the service industry who are often rendered invisible.

Congratulations to Bala, Shailesh and the rest of their team on this achievement. The finalists were picked by this year’s Guest Selector, filmmaker Florian Habicht, from a shortlist curated by NZIFF’s Sandra Reid, Senior Programmer, and Michael McDonnell, Head of Programming. The winners of the three jury prizes and Audience Award will be announced during the film festival in August.

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Members Receive Seed to Write Their Screenplays

The New Zealand Writers Guild have announced the Seed Grant recipients for the first round of 2022, with some of our members on the list.


The Ordeal by Ghazaleh Golbakhsh and Mia Maramara

Stuck in a hotel quarantine, a desperate writer attempts to finish her screenplay to save her career and marriage but soon becomes mad with mysterious visions that she must solve in order to save her life. Ghazaleh and Mia received one of six Seed Grants of $10,000 to develop a first draft of their joint feature film script.


The Resort by Curtis Vowell and Sophie Henderson

Returning to her island, Avaiki, Tui finds whole beaches have disappeared. Piecing together the cause of devastation, Tui decolonises herself and her island, rehoming locals in the luxury resort built upon her family’s land. Curtis and Sophie received one of two Seed Advanced Grants of $12,000 to develop their feature film script.

The dates for the second round of seed are yet to be announced, but take a look here for the full list of first round recipients.

Well done to our members! Looking forward to seeing how your projects develop.

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May Updates to the Board

The Guild has welcomed Rāhera Herewini-Mulligan (Ngāi Tūhoe/Ngāi Tai/Te Whānau a Apanui) and Sam Kelly to the DEGANZ board, while saying goodbye to editor Francis Glenday. A massive thank you to Francis for serving the Guild during his years on the National Executive since 2017.

Rāhera is an editor and field director who is a fluent speaker of te reo Māori with over 20 years experience in the television industry. Sam Kelly is the director of Savage (2019), his feature film debut, and short film Lambs.

Read more about our board members here.

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